An 18-month clinical study of bond failures with resin-modified glass ionomer cement in orthodontic practice

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate, over an 18-month period, the clinical performances of a resin-modified glass ionomer cement for bonding orthodontic brackets and to analyze various factors that influenced their survival and failure rates. Two orthodontists using the edgewise technique participated in this study; 6113 brackets, including 20 molar tubes, were bonded with Fuji Ortho LC (GC, Europe, N.V. Leuven, Belgium) in 135 patients. Ceramic, metal, and resin brackets were tested, and both operators used the same bonding method for the brackets. The survival rate and the failure rate of the brackets were evaluated. The rates were determined by operator, bracket type, tooth position in the dental arch, and age and sex of the patients. Bracket survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier test. The Cox-Mantel statistical test with a level of significance set at 0.05 was used to compare survival curves. The chi-square test was used at a level of P P =.07); however, it had a significant influence on the survival rate ( P P =.17). However, the Cox-Mantel test showed a higher bracket survival rate for the males (S[t] = 0.924) than for the females (S[t] = 0.839) ( P P =.08); however, it was significant on the survival rate ( P P =.007). The highest survival rate was obtained with ceramic brackets ( P =.0001). This in vivo study showed that bonding brackets and molar tubes with Fuji Ortho LC is compatible with clinical orthodontic practice. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2001;120:406-15)